Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with contacts

How can I better sync contacts between my Macbook and iPod Touch.

4ster — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:03:19 -0800

I am trying to sync my Macbook's (Leopard) Address Book with my iPod Touch. The problem is that fields on the Mac like "spouse" and "children" do not show up on the Touch. Is there a fix for this? Thanks.

Psychological resolution of vision problems?

suitcase — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:31:52 -0800

An article was published in a major publication in the last couple years which linked vision problems with mental health disorders. The article focused on a particular doctor who had great success treating patients with vision problems by addressing their underlying psychological issues, commonly depression or stress. The basis was that the muscles which focus the eye are affected by mental stress, and by addressing the mental health of the patient vision problems often are often resolved. His patients were often able to stop wearing glasses or contacts. I feel like it was a New Yorker article, but I can't find it. Does anyone remember this article, and know where to find a copy?

Am I entitled to my glasses/contacts prescription in Illinois?

Joleta — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:14:26 -0800

Does Illinois have a law requiring vision professionals (optometrists in particular) to release spectacles (glasses) prescriptions to the patient? Contact lens prescriptions? I've found this and this, but still can't figure out what the rules for Illinois are. We have a new (and typically confusing) vision plan at work, but my current optometrist is not on it. I'm trying to decide if I can see my current optometrist at the going rate for an exam but require her to give me my prescriptions so I can buy my contacts and glasses elsewhere.

How can I access my data on the move?

jonathanbell — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:27:20 -0800

I'd like to carry my digital address book around with me. Problem is, it's not in a standard format. Some years ago I made the probably flawed decision to store all my contact details in a little Windows application called BusinessCards. It works absolutely beautifully, mimicking the original Windows cardfile program but with unlimited entries and the ability to paste loads of text into each file and format it in weird and wonderful ways.

However, even though the .exe can be moved around from computer to computer and the whole program can run off a memory stick, my contacts are still tied to a laptop so I have to wait for it to start up, etc. etc. Ideally, I'd like to access this data on my phone (a Nokia N95), with a fully searchable application that can also be synched with a PC.

There are currently around 2750 individual cards, each containing a varying amount of contact data, none of it in dedicated fields (name, phone, street number, etc.). What are my options? You can save the database in three formats, .bcd format (the proprietary format for the program), something called cardfile 3.0 (.crd files) and Comma Delimited (.csv files).

Does anyone have any recommendations for cardfile-type software for the Symbian S60 operating system? Can I export this data? Many thanks in advance.

My address books are pwning me!

mccxxiii — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:10:46 -0800

How can I keep track of all my people across several computers? I'm flailing around unproductively trying to keep track of all my people and their ever-changing contact info.

My current system is like this:

I use a Dell/Outlook/BlackBerry Enterprise Server setup at work and a Mac/OS X/Address Book setup at home. I also have a Gmail account and an LG VX9800 cell phone that stores phone numbers.

Right now I have a personal "master list" in Mac Address Book, a work "master list" in Outlook, a more robust e-mail list in Gmail (given that it automatically saves any e-mail that you send to), and a list of phone numbers saved in my phone. I find myself updating the same information in two or three places every time something changes.

I wouldn't mind having all work and personal contacts in one place, but I must continue to have both the BB for work and the separate, personal cell phone. I can't really afford a new personal cell phone right now, but if something absolutely fabulously useful and efficient were to exist, I would find a way to buy it.

My fantasy contact management system is:

* web-based, so it is accessible from any computer/platform. (Running on my own server space is OK but not necessary.)

* able to receive imports from my datasets that currently exist.

* able to sync with my handheld devices OR export easily into something that does. (e.g. export into Outlook and then I will sync the BB there.)

* not free -- I don't mind paying if it's less likely to disappear on me or ignore customer service.

* not so expensive that I can't afford it. I want a consumer-level product, not a business-level product.

* not going to spam all my contacts. (I'm pointing at you, Plaxo!)

* back-up-able, so the web-based app doesn't eat all my data and leave me contact-less.

The pessimist in me doubts that what I want exists, but maybe someone will surprise me with some software that I don't know about. Even if I can't reach perfection, can anyone suggest incremental improvements?

Extra Credit Question: As an interim step, I might at least try to get all my Mac Address Book data into Gmail. I can't imagine that Gmail's going to disappear on me. Can I import data into Gmail in bulk, or would it all have to be typed in?

Can you recommend a great eye doctor in New York City

AnyGuelmann — Sat, 17 May 2008 20:00:56 -0800

I'm looking to hear from people who have both astigmatism and myopia and have successfully transitioned to contact lenses. Also, if your eye doc is in Manhattan, can I have his/her number? I have astigmatism (under 1.00) and myopia (under 1.50) and I'd like to start wearing contacts. I'm sort of fed up with frames and I'd like to have another option, and especially avoid getting prescription lenses for all my sun glasses.

From what I've read, contacts for myopia and astigmatism combined can be somewhat tricky. There's supposed to be more issues to be considered as far as type and fitting. I'm all right with that, as long as it works. Did it work for you? Are you a happy, crisp-visioned contact person?

That said, I'm also looking for a great ophthalmologist in NY, preferably Manhattan.

I need help getting a contact lens prescription

jesirose — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:20:50 -0800

Is there a way to get a contact lens prescription without the machine where you pick 1 or 2? I have a horrible time with this machine. It makes my eyes watery and then I cannot tell a difference between the lenses, none are ever strong enough because my eyes are blurry.

I am also very sensitive to light, and the doctors have acknowledged this. After they do all the other 'tests' first, my eyes are so tired and sore I wouldn't be able to see with the right prescription. When I try to explain this the doctors tell me it will still work, but I still can't SEE.

I have been to several doctors in the past few years and have yet to get a prescription that is right. It went from -4 to -8.0 then back to -6.5.

When I tell the doctors that my vision is still blurry with the prescription, they say it is allergies or they can't explain it. They tried astigmatism lenses but they would not stay facing the direction they were supposed to and they hurt my eyes. One doctor told me the brand I like did not come in a high enough power but I see online they go up to -9.0.

Are there no other alternative ways to find a patient's prescription? Or do I just keep getting bad doctors? It's too expensive to keep going every month to try to find a good doctor. Is there anything I can do to get a prescription that is right?

Is it me or the contacts?

sian — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 09:21:07 -0800

I bought B&L Soflens 59 contact lenses online and they don't seem to hold moisture. Is it me or the contacts? I bought them from justlenses.com. My eye guy tried to prescribe me Shopko brand lenses and wouldn't budge (and also tried to keep my prescription from me) so I opted to buy on the internet. He did give me a sample pair which I wore for about a month with no problems at all except a little dryness during extended lengths at the computer.

I opened the new box, put them in, and they immediately stuck to my eye. I put them in some solution for a week and tried again--again, they stick to my eye without floating on a layer of moisture like I'm used to. Eye drops don't seem to make any difference. My sample pair don't have this problem. Are these contacts shot or are they supposed to be like that?

Also, I wear NuvaRing, which apparently can cause intolerance to contact lenses. Why is this? Does anyone have any experience with this?

Old Contact, will you hurt me?

sweetkid — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:56:05 -0800

Old Contact Filter: To try or not to try? I lost my last contact this morning. I thought I had a spare, but didn't, blah blah. I rush ordered another batch, but it won't get here for a few days, and I start a new job Monday. I only wear a contact in my left eye, so my right eye is compensating pretty well, but overall it's an annoying experience and I'll have to tell New Job that I am suffering from half capacity eyes the first day if my contacts don't get here on time. In the meantime, I found a lens sitting in an old case from god knows how long ago. It was still soft and in liquid. I put it in some fresh solution...but should I bother to try it, or will it give me some sort of horrid infection?

How can I tranfer my contacts from one Sony Ericsson phone to another?

CrazyLemonade — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 11:03:20 -0800

How can I easily transfer the contacts on my old Sony Ericsson W810i phone to my new Sony Ericsson S500i phone? When I transfered the sim card, it appears it only took numbers with it, no names or complete contact information. I'd like to transfer all my contacts from one phone to the other, preferably in a fast one-time way.

(I'd be ok with downloading sofware to do this, if you can point me in the right direction. I'm using Windows Vista.)

Thanks in advance for the help!

1-800-CONTACTS Comes North?

Nelsormensch — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:20:15 -0800

What's the best site to order contact lenses from in Canada? Looking for somewhere to buy daily disposable contact lenses online. I haven't actually ordered contacts online before; will I need anything more than my most recent (1 month-ish old) prescription?

About how much should I expect to pay for a month of daily disposable lenses? I can just buy one box, right? I only wear contacts once every 1-2 weeks, rarely for more than 4 hours at a time, so one box should last me for a quite a while. Finally, any recommendations on brand?

(This is all operating under the assumption that order online is going to be cheaper than order from my downtown Vancouver optometrist. If that's not the case, please correct me)

how to share contacts in a single file?

ethel — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:27:10 -0800

Any way to have a shared Address Book while using Thunderbird? My two-person office used to have only one email address (yes, we are that lo-tech), and only recently have we switched over to our two separate email addresses.

My question: is it possible on Windows XP (using Thunderbird, but we would be willing to switch to a new program) to share a contacts/address book over a network of two computers? We have 300 filmmakers whose work we distribute and need to keep track of all their up-to-date info. So instead of changing it two times on our two separate address books, is it possible to share contacts in a single, shared file? It seems like something that would be easy to do, my tech-dumb self just can't seem to figure it out.

Thanks in advance for any help, mefites!

Wearing daily contact lenses for one week: not considered harmful?

maudlin — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:07:50 -0800

I just bought 90 days worth of daily disposable contact lenses, but I intend to wear each pair for a week at a time, taking them out every evening and cleaning them in OptiFree. I occasionally get eye infections, so I no longer want to use even a well-cleaned set of lenses longer than a week. Am I pushing safety levels by using dailies as weeklies? I know that there's been at least one question here, several years ago, about the difference between various types of lenses, and people varied on whether or not you can wear dailies for more than a day. Given that contacts may have become better since 2004, I thought this was worth asking again. (My brand: CibaVision Dailies AquaComfort Plus and CibaVision Focus Dailies toric lenses for astigmatism).

What GPS unti lets me add contacts from a PC?

imjosh — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:02:48 -0800

Help me find a standalone user friendly GPS unit that can have addresses or contacts loaded from a computer. I have been tasked with finding a standalone GPS unit such as a Tom Tom or a Garmin which will be used by several non tech oriented staff at my work place.
One of their key "needs" is the ability to load contacts and stops to the unit via the computer before they leave.

The units I have researched are fuzzy on whether or not you can do this. Does anyone have any firsthand experience with this? I trust MeFi input much more than a salespersons.

Also PPC or laptop GPS solutions won't work for this crowd, which are what most of my Googling turned up.

Thanks, apologies if I missed a similar question.

Darth Maul wasn't my father, why are my eyes red?

TheDukeofLancaster — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:28:10 -0800

Obviously I need to see a Dr. and you can't give specific advise. But what the heck is going on with my eyes?!? I've switched to a new pair of contacts, twice because my eyes are getting VERY bloodshot. This has slowly built up over about 2 weeks. They are not just slightly red, but scary red. As in, people I barely know are asking me about them. Pink eye is, I suppose, a remote possibility, but I've not had any symptoms except the redness. I popped out the lenses and put in some "All Clear". 20 minutes have passed, there is no real difference. They did start itching when I pulled the contacts out, that hasn't gone away. I can't leave work (to see a Dr.) because we're short staffed due to the holidays!

Contact Lenses

jne1813 — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 07:20:39 -0800

ContactLensFilter: What to do if you can't tell if you're wearing contacts, but know you haven't taken them out. More Inside. Just got contacts and put them in at the doctor's. Got home and accidentally fell asleep. Before I could feel the lenses and now I don't. Furthermore, I don't feel like I have improved eyesight. I put on my old glasses and my eyes adjusted-- I could see clearer. I've tried taking them out, but with poor results. Now I ask myself....are they even there?

Better contact database that will sync with a better phone than Treo

foodybat — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 12:01:11 -0800

What is the best hardware for my situation; Phone, contact program (software), laptop, maybe even pc as brief as i can be.....
I use ACT for my contacts. I have a treo 650. I can d/l my ACT database to my treo. i hate the phone & i'm in the market for a new one. I am also planning to get a new laptop (currently on a 2year old Acer that's close to the end of it's life).
What I'm looking for is a contact database that is similar to ACT (because that's what I'm familiar with) that can be used (synced) with another devise (similar to the Treo). Blackberry is one option. I had one 3-4 years ago, but didn't like the phone...& it was too bulky (but good email, etc.) The treo is similar, not a great phone, but good email, texting.
I'm considering iphone. Phone contracts are no problem. Currently I"m on sprint, but also have a t-mobile account. I dont' have an AT&T account, but can open one. It would be really good if the phone would work in China (where I travel 1x/yr.) I was just there & the phone worked in Korea (layover) but not China. I need to ensure that anywhere I am, if someone calls me, the phone will work. My associate, who is also w/sprint & has a blackberry, his phone worked in china, but not mine ?
So let me hear your advice. Different contact program that will work (d/l sync) with a phone... a good phone. I am looking to upgrade my phone/laptop & probably soon my pc.... I'm reallly leaning towards the mac now that it can run Vista (as everyone at my workplace is on pc's, & all the programs are pc based).
Should I wait on the iphone until they can handle 3rd party software? Is there a different, more effective phone that will do the same thing I need? Will the iphone (at&t) work in China?
Money isn't my primary concern... it's all for work, etc.

These glasses are making me sleepy!

adverb — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:02:32 -0800

Why am I always sleepy when I wear my glasses? In a problem that is the direct opposite of this question, every time I wear my glasses for an extended period of time, I feel sluggish and sleepy. I have daily wear soft lenses in my eyes 95% of the time I'm awake and are usually much more alert.

The previously asked question seems to make more sense - putting something in your eye tends to aggravate it more, lack of oxygen, etc. - and you'd think glasses would allow the eyes to recuperate, therefore making them feel better. What's going on??

Can I choose which Contacts in Outlook 2007 sync to my Pocket PC?

zooropa — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:59:04 -0800

Outlook and Address Book question. Can I choose which Contacts in Outlook 2007 sync to my Pocket PC? Here is the setup:

- Outlook 2007 on a laptop running Windows XP SP2

- PocketPC smartphone running Windows Mobile 5

- In Outlook, I have a 60 contacts categorized as follows:
- 20 Personal
- 30 Office
- 10 Clients

Right now, every time my phone syncs up to the Exchange Server, it downloads every single contact listed in the Address Book. Is there a way I can pick and choose which contacts are downloaded to the phone and which aren't? I really only need the Personal and Clients, but not the Office, on the phone.

But, of course, I still want to be able to access all contacts when I'm in Outlook on the laptop.

I'm sure it has something to do with the 'global address book' and what not in Outlook, but I'm not sure. Pointers to a good tutorial are also more than welcome.

Any ideas?

out of sync

Hands of Manos — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 09:55:55 -0800

Cannot get my windows mobile smartphone contacts to sync (or edit) with Outlook. Okay so I have a windows mobile smartphone and my contacts are messed up (something happened and I have 2 of every contact now). I want to be able to edit them however when I sync it up in ActiveSync, I have no option for contacts and it won't sync with the contacts in Outlook.

It syncs with calendar just fine. Notes? Not a problem (same for tasks too). So what gives? I've tried everything to get my contacts in Outlook and my contacts in the windows mobile phone (I have a tmobile MDA with the latest os running on it). I've tried googling this problem but am coming up with nothing. Can anyone help me out? Basically I just want to edit my contacts.

The Press of the Great Northwest

EatTheWeak — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 10:43:28 -0800

I'm trying to draw up a list of publishers in Western Washington State. Google and the Yellowpages have done all they can. Hi Metafilter! Here's the situation. I'm a writer, and I'm determined to get published within the next couple years. Selling a book would be ideal, but a steady magazine or newspaper gig would be wonderful as well. I'm sick to death of "day jobs" and I'm desperate to make a living doing what I love before I get any older.

To that end, I've decided to leave the national publishing market alone for awhile and go local. I would like to get into print with a small, nearby firm and build a reputation I can trade on a little further down the road.

So my project for the day is building a list of local publishers to contact for submissions guidelines. Local meaning the "Cascadia" area - Western Washington, Northern Oregon, etc. I've gotten a fair number of leads from Google, and the Yellow Pages. I've also gotten a rather large count of commercial printers, vanity presses and defunct businesses.

Fiction is my preferred genre, but I just want to get paid for putting words on a page. Now that I've consulted the obvious sources, I was wondering if any MeFites might know a clever way to search publishers by location. Books, magazines, papers, online, pretty much anyone who pays for the written word. I swear to god I'll lose my mind if I have to make a living kissing customer ass much longer.

Thank you so much, AskMe.

Optometrist recommendation (for contact lenses) in Washington, DC?

dcjd — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 16:07:36 -0800

Optometrist recommendation (for contact lenses) in Washington, DC ? Any recommendations for an optometrist in DC that does a good job with contact lenses? Before I moved to DC, I usually went to an ophthalmologist, but he didn't really specialize in fitting people for contacts. My contacts have been giving me problems, and I've had to switch to glasses. I'd like to see someone locally who can help figure out how to get me happy with contacts again. Thanks! (additionally, I don't have vision insurance, so that's not a consideration)

Do I need a pirate costume to go with this eyepatch?

Anonymous — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 21:12:01 -0800

Why can't I stop seeing double? For the last week I have had double vision. I have a ophthalmologist appointment next week, but can anyone shed some light on this in the meantime? It's freaking me out.

I am nearsighted (4.25/3.5) and have strabismus in my right eye; they patched it when I was a baby, and it tracks objects to the front and my right, but not to my left (it rolls up all wonky and Paris Hilton-style). I have always been able to make myself see double by consciously relaxing my eye, but I typically do not see that way.

Three weeks ago I got new, more powerful contacts, with no problems or worsening of vision that I recall. Over the weekend I wore my new, stronger glasses for the first time. I wore them all weekend. Before this I had not worn glasses for more than a couple of hours in about five years. It felt kind of weird, but I could see. On Monday I started wearing my new contacts again and have had progressively worse double vision all week, to to the point where I could not focus on a single line of text in print or screen without shadowy ghosts slipping in and out. It is worse with my contacts than with my glasses, and least bad with nothing, but it's still present even then. It seems to worsen as the day goes on. Near objects are more likely to double dramatically than faraway ones. If I close one eye, everything is awesome, except the no-depth-perception part.

My optometrist said that he doesn't get what's going on; he tried prisms in his office yesterday, which should have helped, but that made the doubling worse.

Other information:
-I have migraines, but my head doesn't hurt. I take Imitrex as needed when it does and Skelaxin for muscle tension in my neck and shoulders as needed.
-My job requires me to read printed or screen text constantly. I am doing that for about 10-12 hours per day.
-I do not have any history of epilepsy, although I did faint once when I had the flu.

Sell me on something to make selling easier

paxton — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 06:16:31 -0800

What's a solid OS X software package for managing small business sales? I need to find a solid, all in one package for managing sales contacts and invoices on a Mac. I’m walking blind on this one so any experience and insight would be helpful. I see Invoices via the apple site, but I’d like to see my options.

Help me reach Gmail / mobile / desktop sync nerdvana

mjbraun — Tue, 01 May 2007 08:06:21 -0800

Please help me come up with a solution for automatically syncing Gmail, GCal, my desktop client and my mobile in one big data orgy. Currently I'm hosting my domain (email only) with Mailstreet and I'm relatively happy with their services and support. However, the siren song of "Gmail For Your Domain" has me entranced.

I'm in the market for a new mobile, and I'm looking at either a Blackberry 8800 or a Nokia E61i (when it comes out). Regardless, I want the full wireless sync of not only my email, but also my calendar and contacts (notes too, if possible). I can get this through Mailstreet if I sign up for the Blackberry service, but it's not cheap, and the storage space is limited (100Mb).

So I was wondering how I can set up automatic synchronization between my desktop PIM (I use Entourage, as I like having one app with all the data consolidated), my mail host, and my mobile as with the BES.

This sounds like something that Funambol would provide, but I'm not clear on the Gmail For Your Domain integration aspect.

The end goal will be I can add a contact on my mobile, and it just shows up on my desktop a few minutes later (the same with email, and calendar items). If I have to pay for Exchange, so be it, but I'd prefer to get away from it if possible.